Traditional South African food

Enjoy the tantalizing flavors of South African food

The wide array of cuisine available is overwhelming. From the deliciously diverse flavors of South Africa’s indigenous and multi-cultural rainbow cuisine to culinary specialties from all over the world.

All over South Africa, you can find strips of what looks like dark old leather that is eaten as a snack – this is the famous biltong. Biltong is a thinly sliced, tough and salty air-dried meat, most often beef or game like springbok, rather like beef jerky. You will also find droewors, air-dried sausages. Indigenous African peoples use to preserve meat by curing it with salt and drying in the air.

Bunny chow, this is South African fast food – and it has nothing to do with rabbits.

It’s a quarter or a half a loaf of white bread, hollowed out and filled with a hot and spicy meat or vegetable curry (or anything else that takes your fancy). Bunny chow originated in the city of Durban, some say when migrant Indian laborers working in sugarcane plantations had to take their food into the fields.

Potjiekos or ‘little pot food’ is an Afrikaans term to describe food cooked in layers in a traditional three-legged cast iron pot (a potjie) but essentially it’s a slow cooked meat and vegetable stew. Potjiekos can be served with pap (maize porridge), umngqusho (samp and beans), morogo (wild spinach), amadombolo (dumplings) and pot-baked bread (potbrood) or steamed bread (ujeqe).

As with meat, the “braai” (barbecue) is a favorite way of cooking fish.

The people at South Africa’s west coast, known for their fondness of “snoek” and crayfish, are particularly adept at grilling seafood over an open fire. In coastal areas fresh line-fish (catch of the day) is always a good menu option if you are a fish lover.

Come and enjoy some good South African food!

https://www.expatica.com/za/about/Top-10-foods-in-South-Africa-and-recipes_504435.html

https://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/food-in-south-africa.html

Oma’s Old-Fashioned Rouladen

traditional

Back in the 40s and 50s, when my German mother-in-law (aka “Oma”) was a young girl in Northern German, rouladen was her family’s traditional Christmas dinner.

Now, this classic meal is a common Sunday supper all over Germany, but back then, when money was tight, Rouladen was a special treat served only once a year.

What is Rouladen?  Chuck roast is wrapped around bacon, onion and spices then simmered in pan gravy for hours until it becomes tender and flavorful.  This recipe has been passed down through Oma’s family for generations.  Oma learned it from her late mother who learned it from hers, etc. etc.  Since Oma has been visiting, we decided to capture this recipe for our official family record, but you can enjoy it as well.

So I present to you Oma’s Old-Fashioned Rouladen.

Oma’s Old-Fashioned Rouladen

  • 10 strips of chuck roast cut thin, approximately 3 3/4 pounds
  • 15-20 strips of bacon
  • yellow mustard
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large onion, cut in half and sliced very thin
  • vegetable oil
  • water, divided
  • sour cream, optional
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or cornstarch for a gluten-free option)

Serves 8-10.

ROLLING

Take a strip of chuck roast.  It should be about 1/4 inch thick.  If it is too thick, pound it down to the correct thickness.  Spread the meat with a thin layer of mustard, then sprinkle with pepper and salt (go easy on the salt).  Put a strip or two of bacon on the meat.  This depends on how wide your meat is.  You don’t want the bacon to stick out the side.  Cover that with a thin layer of sliced onions.

Starting at the small end, roll the meat with its contents into a tight cylinder.  Using kitchen twine (or in Oma’s case, sewing thread), tie this bundle tightly.

BROWNING

Put about 2-3 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a heavy sauté pan.  When the oil is hot, add the rouladen, and cook, turning as necessary, until it is very brown on all sides.  This takes about 22-28 minutes.  When the meat is very very brown all over, place them in an oven.

Heat about 2 cups of water in small saucepan until hot.  Pour the water into the sauté pan that you used to brown the rouladen and scrape up the drippings.  Eventually, this will be the gravy.  Pour this sauce over the meat in the dutch oven.  If you didn’t get everything from the pan, add a little more water, scrape again and pour that over the meat.  Oma says this is very important.  Add enough water so that it covers about 2/3 of the meat.

SIMMERING

Bring to a boil on the stove top, then reduce heat, cover and simmer very low for 1 1/2 hours.  After the meat is tender, remove it to a plate covered with foil to stay warm.

GRAVY

Whisk together 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 cup water until smooth.  This mixture will be the consistency of cream.  Turn the heat off on the pot and add about 1/2 this mixture to the pan juices whisking until it is incorporated.  Then turn the heat back on and simmer until it thickens.  Just before serving, mix in approximately 1/4 cup of sour cream (optional).  Taste for seasoning.

Guten Appetit!

https://www.livinthepielife.com/2011/02/omas-old-fashioned-rouladen/

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

sandwich

Bread, butter and Cheddar cheese

Here’s a way to make this classic sandwich in a nonstick pan:

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Generously butter one side of a slice of bread. Place bread butter-side-down onto skillet bottom and add 1 slice of cheese. Butter a second slice of bread on one side and place butter-side-up on top of sandwich. Grill until lightly browned and flip over; continue grilling until cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining 2 slices of bread, butter and slice of cheese.

Tip:

Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.

KAROO CUISINE

eating

Eating and drinking in the Karoo is a culinary experience not to be missed.

The Karoo is a large area with many towns! The region offers a variety of traditional and wholesome Karoo dining experiences to suit all tastes and budgets! From the deliciously diverse flavors of South Africa’s indigenous and multi-cultural rainbow cuisine to culinary specialties from all over the world.

The Karoo is well known for its Lamb.

It is believed that Karoo lamb is tastier and more flavorsome than lamb from other regions, the reason being the different types of shrubbery which the sheep in this region feed on. The fragrant bushes in the Karoo impart an unmistakable ‘herbiness’ to the lamb. Here, the sheep roam freely on farms eating the Karoo vegetation to their heart’s content!

Braaivleis (BBQ): The word braaivleis is Afrikaans for “roasted meat.” The word braai (pronounced “bry”, rhyming with the word “cry”; plural braais) is Afrikaans for “barbecue” or “roast” and is a social custom in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It originated with the Afrikaner people but has since been adopted by South Africans of many ethnic backgrounds.

The word vleis are Afrikaans for “meat”.

Bobotie: Bobotie, a staple of South African cuisine. It is believed to have originated with the Dutch and gets its name from the Indonesian word “Bobotok”. Bobotie has been part of the South African cuisine since about the 27th century. Back then it was made mainly with mutton and pork which were combined.

Nowadays it is usually made using either beef or lamb mince. Dried fruits such as raisins and apricots can also be added. Flavored with mild curry, the mince is then topped with a milk and egg mixture and baked in the oven. Usually served with yellow rice with raisins.

http://www.south-africa-info.co.za/country/article/279/karoo-cuisine

KAROO CUISINE

Eating and drinking in the Karoo is a culinary experience not to be missed.

The Karoo is a large area with many towns! The region offers a variety of traditional and wholesome Karoo dining experiences to suit all tastes and budgets! From the deliciously diverse flavors of South Africa’s indigenous and multi-cultural rainbow cuisine to culinary specialties from all over the world.

The Karoo is well known for its Lamb.

It is believed that Karoo lamb is tastier and more flavorsome than lamb from other regions, the reason being the different types of shrubbery which the sheep in this region feed on. The fragrant bushes in the Karoo impart an unmistakable ‘herbiness’ to the lamb. Here, the sheep roam freely on farms eating the Karoo vegetation to their heart’s content!

Braaivleis (BBQ): The word braaivleis is Afrikaans for “roasted meat.”

The word braai (pronounced “bry”, rhyming with the word “cry”; plural braais) is Afrikaans for “barbecue” or “roast” and is a social custom in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It originated with the Afrikaner people but has since been adopted by South Africans of many ethnic backgrounds. The word vleis are Afrikaans for “meat”.

Bobotie: Bobotie, a staple of South African cuisine. It is believed to have originated with the Dutch and gets its name from the Indonesian word “Bobotok”. Bobotie has been part of the South African cuisine since about the 27th century.

Back then it was made mainly with mutton and pork which were combined. Nowadays it is usually made using either beef or lamb mince. Dried fruits such as raisins and apricots can also be added. Flavored with mild curry, the mince is then topped with a milk and egg mixture and baked in the oven. Usually served with yellow rice with raisins.

http://www.south-africa-info.co.za/country/article/279/karoo-cuisine

OSTRICH NECK CASSEROLE

Ostrich neck is an excellent alternative to oxtail, as it is similar in appearance when cooked, but with no fat!

With its combination of great taste and nutrition, and it’s incredible ease and versatility in cooking, ostrich meat has rapidly found its’ way onto the menu of many of the finest restaurants in the world. It will make you keep running back for more.

Ingredients:

100ml cooking oil

2kg ostrich neck, cleaned and cut up

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 large onions, diced

1 bunch celery, sliced (no leaves)

3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

Sprig fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 bay leaves

4T tomato paste

1/2 bottle good red wine

6 to 8 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

1x410g can butterbeans, drained

Method:

In a large sturdy pot heat the oil until very hot and seal the meat until browned all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary, garlic and bay leaves. Braise the vegetables until they are glazed about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir in. Add the red wine and bring to the boil. Add the water, cover the pot, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for about one hour or until the neck is nearly cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 30 minutes or until tender. Add the butterbeans and heat through. Serve with yellow rice.

Ostrich Meat – Savory and Delicious!

LIFE IS ALWAYS SWEETER WITH GOOD FOOD

Let’s face it, food is a part of our everyday lives. We eat it, we dream about it and we spend our money on it.

There are two impulses we need to figure out how to short-circuit. The first is “habituation,” which has to do with the way we get tired of even our favorite foods if we eat them too often, and the second is “satiation,” which leads us to enjoy a given food less and less over the course of a serving.

One thing when cooking for other people is that the food should taste good, of course, but it doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming.  Nothing beats good food and great company.

LOVE PEOPLE, COOK THEM GOOD FOOD

There is no bigger pleasure in life than to meet new people and eat some lovely food.  Explore new destinations, eat some amazingly delicious food.  Food is the one mediums that binds people together and helps you learn and know about people and their cultures.

Choosing a variety of foods will help to make your meals interesting.

Here are some tips:

  1. Food is a great go-to for expressing your feelings.
  2. Food is rewarding.
  3. Going to get food makes for a great first date.
  4. Food completes family holidays.
  5. You can make and eat food any way you want to.
  6. One bite of your favorite food on a bad day can instantly change your mood.
  7. The right food can fulfill a day’s worth of cravings.
  8. Food is fast and easy.
  9. At the end of the day, you’ll realize that food is all you need.
Food is there for the highs and the lows, food is love, food is life.

Springbok Carpaccio with Rooibos Balsamic Reduction

So, you love making food and would like to show off your cooking prowess to your friends and family.

Carpaccio is a simple dish, which allows the bold flavors of quality ingredients to shine. It’s fabulous as a starter or light lunch and is relatively quick and easy to make. Carpaccio is actually shavings of raw meat, and it is said that the slices should be so ultra-thin that one should almost be able to almost see the plate through them. The result is delicate morsels, which have a vibrant flavor and almost melt in one’s mouth.

Ingredients:

For the Rooibos Balsamic Reduction:

1L Balsamic vinegar

8 Rooibos tea bags

2 sticks of cinnamon

4 T brown sugar (my original recipe included honey, but it’s flavor didn’t cut through the stronger flavor of the vinegar, so I replaced it with some brown sugar)

For the Melba toast:

1 Ciabatta loaf (if you can find a loaf that is a day or two old use it, it will be easier to slice)

For the Carpaccio:

200gm Springbok sirloin (I originally thought to use the fillet, but my butcher told me that a Springbok fillet would be way too small for the job)

Good quality olive oil

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

a few shavings of Gruyere cheese

a handful of Rocket leaves

a handful or ripe Rosa tomatoes

3-4 T of Rooibos Balsamic Reduction

a few slices of Melba Toast

Method:

For the Rooibos Balsamic Reduction:

Follow the same technique I used for the

Garlic & Oregano Balsamic Reduction

You will need:

  • 500ml Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • about 10 or so cloves of garlic
  • a couple of branches of oregano

just replace the ingredients with the ones listed above.

For the Melba toast:

Preheat the oven to 180° C.

Slice the Ciabatta as thin as you can.

Place the slices on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning them over after 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on these babies, you want a light golden color, no burnt spots.

Let them cool on a wire rack if possible and store in an airtight container.

For the Carpaccio:

Remove the sirloin from the packaging, place on a cutting board and pat dry with some kitchen towel.

Wipe your work surface with a damp cloth (to make the clingfilm stick) and roll out about 30 cm’s of clingfilm away from you.  Do not tear off the clingfilm just yet, leave the roll on the counter as is, we are going to fold it back over in a minute.

Drizzle a tiny bit of good olive oil on the clingfilm.  Don’t overdo it or you will have a hard time later trying to get the slices to stay put.

Slice the meat into thin slices and place on the clingfilm.  The thickness here will determine how big the slices of carpaccio will be once rolled out, so try a few different sizes until you are happy with them once rolled out.

Roll the clingfilm back over the slices and tear off when you reached the other end.  Work out the air trapped in the film by patting it down from the middle outwards.

Gently roll the slices of meat with a rolling pin until they are nice and thin. Don’t go TOO thin or they’ll break, just be patient and give it a go you’ll soon get the hang of it.

If you find that the meat jumps around under the rolling pin when you try to roll it, use less olive oil on your Be gentle and take your time, roll the slices both horizontally and vertically.

If you would like to serve Carpaccio at a dinner party, I’d advise you to do everything up to this point in advance.  You can place the rolled sheets in the fridge and just unwrap, season and serve when the guests arrive. Just make sure that you seal the edges of the clingfilm so that no air can get it before putting it in the fridge.

The next crucial part is seasoning.  Raw meat without proper seasoning is really not very appetizing at all.  You also want to avoid handling these delicate slices too much, so to season both sides without having to turn them over, I first put a generous amount of salt and pepper on a flat plate, then place the slices on top of that.

Lightly season the top side as well and then we are ready to plate. You will need to adjust the seasoning to your liking, so make a few “tasters” first and then adjust as necessary.

Enjoy!

South African Christmas recipes

Kettle braai turkey with cashew nut stuffing

This recipe serves 12 people.

Ingredients

5 kg turkey

Liver and heart of a turkey

500 g pork sausage meat

4 slices of bacon

1 small tub of chicken livers

2 onions

2 eggs

2 to 4 thick slices of brown bread for crumbs

Butter and olive oil

600 g cashew nuts

1 sweet potato

Salt and black pepper, lemon juice, chopped parsley

Brandy (optional)

Crumb the bread and place in mixing bowl. Fry onions, bacon, liver, turkey heart, 400 g of cashews and sausage meat in butter and a dash of olive oil. Bake sweet potatoes and remove skin. Add the sweet potatoes to the mix, mince and add the juices from the frying pan. Keep some of the cashews for later.

Combine the mixture and bread crumbs and add two dessertspoons of parsley, salt and pepper to taste, a few drops of fresh lemon juice and the whole cashews. Add two glugs of brandy. Bind the mixture with two eggs and stuff the neck-end of the turkey. Sew the neck skin closed (use cotton or unwaxed dental floss, or skewers). Stuff the rest of the mixture into the abdominal cavity.

Rub the turkey with olive oil and place four to six slices of bacon on the breast side. Wrap in tinfoil. Make an indirect fire in your kettle braai and place the turkey breast-side up over a drip tray. Cooking time varies with the size of the bird — roast for 20 minutes per half-kilo.

Open foil for the last 30 minutes so that the bird browns nicely. When the bird’s juices run clear (stick a fork into the thigh to test), it’s done.

 

Food lovers

Potjiekos (“Small pot of food”) originated with the Voortrekkers, evolving as a stew made of venison and vegetables cooked in the potjie.

Traditionally, the recipe includes meat, vegetables, and potatoes all slow-cooked with various spices. Traditionally, the liquid should never be added to the pot and the contents should never be stirred, as the lid keeps all liquids and flavors circulating throughout cooking. Usually served with rice or “mielie pap”.

LAMB CURRY POTIJIE

Lamb curry potjie is a real favorite of most South Africans! Especially in the winter time and when you want to entertain large crowds without having to spend hours in the kitchen. The recipe serves six.

750g x 2 cubed lamb ( you can use half beef and half lamb, but it is nicer if you use only lamb)

4-5 sweet potatoes peeled and cut in large chunks

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander seed

1 teaspoon chili jam

2 teaspoons garam masala

1cm ginger peeled and grated

6 garlic cloves crushed

2 bay leaves

1/4 ground turmeric

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions chopped

800g tin peeled tomatoes

Liquidize the tin peeled tomatoes in the food processor. Fry the onions in the oil remove the onions. Use the same pot to dry fry the herbs and spices for a moment. Add the onions and the liquidized tomatoes. Add the meat bring to boil. Cook for 1 hour on the stove top with the lid on the pot. If too dry you can add half a cup of water. Add sweet potatoes cook for another hour or till sweet potatoes are tender. The sweet potato thickens the sauce. Eat and enjoy. The mild curry freezes well.